Introduction
The period from the 1890s to the 1920s was quite significant in shaping the modern consumer culture today. Specifically, this period had an unprecedented change in the consumer culture of the American women with businesses inventing new ways of targeting this segment of the market through marketing strategies. This paper looks at the specific developments that took place during this period and explains the strong connection between this historical time and the nature of modern consumer culture today.
American women changed the consumer culture in the period between the 1890s and 1920s
The modern consumer culture started in 1890. It was a result of economic and cultural forces. It is important to note that the Industrial Revolution that saw the new production of goods and services had its full impact end in the late 19 th century. Businesses to start focusing on ways of distributing and selling the goods produced. They had to forge the infrastructure of the existent consumer culture (Johnson, 1998). At this time, changes in the field of commerce started to be felt with the emergence of mail-order houses, the door-door firms, syndicate chain stores and the department stores. There was embracement of new styles of merchandising, packaging, display and advertising by businesses in the bid to shore up consumer demand (Wolfe, 1975). What developed was the creation of a market of consumers where desire was systemized. It is important to note that many professionals led the development of new corporate marketing and advertising practices.
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Masculine identity was associated with the inclination towards efficiency, control, and method. However, the feminine identity was linked to consumption. It became clear that man was interested in organization whereas the woman had her focus on consumption. It is important to note that the American consumers were consumers in the sense that they bought, bartered and used goods produced (Peiss, 1998). In fact, the role of women in the course of revolutions or protests was simply staging consumer boycotts by refusing to purchase and use goods in the market. Most of these consumer boycotts involved the imported tea and cloth. Women also got much interest in reading and listening to drama, a development that made them start consuming novels for pleasure.
The 1890s marked a period in which women were highly identified with the culture of consumerism. In this period, consumption was associated with women because of the idea that it did not entail just purchasing of the goods, but a whole way of life (Peiss, 1998). For instance, the kind of consumption referred to in this case was that one seen with the leisured American women who wore signs of familial and class status. Women rose to become the real and typical consumer in the 1890s. They were the gender that resoundingly responded to the consumer economy.
In this particular period, shopping was changed from a simple, functional activity to a kind of leisure. In fact, this became the hallmark of the developments in the field of commerce during the period between 1890 and 1930. Shopping did happen in a commercial place. For instance in New York City, there was the Ladies Mile shopping center where American women came to shop, just see some of the fashion goods and also be seen. In this regard, merchants established a huge opportunity in the world of commerce (Leach, 1993). They start to promote the culture of seeing and touching goods on display as they enticed women to desire the products and services on offer. The merchants could design products aimed at seducing women into just desiring, seeing and touching them. This desire is what always transformed into real buying of the products. However, the emergence of product display to encourage desire among the women consumers had its major challenge in the habit of shop-lifting practiced by some ladies (Peiss, 1998). Therefore, a new strategy had to be developed to deal with the challenge of shop-lifting while still achieving the goal of encouraging a huge desire for goods among women.
New techniques of displaying goods emerged. These techniques included the use of show windows, glass cabinetry and mirror-walls for shops. Additionally, new services were also innovated with the aim of attracting the American women. They included rest-rooms, restaurant and package delivery (Peiss, 1998). Furthermore, credit-buying was also introducing just to appeal to the American women and enhance the culture of consumerism.
Businesses did not ever relent in their quest to ensure consumerism among American women continued to rise. Businesses always implemented strategies that could elicit the desire of women for particular goods and services. There were the new mass-circulation magazines that fostered the consumption culture among women (Peiss, 1998). For instance, female magazines like Ladies’ Home Journal, Woman’s Home Companion and Pictorial Review are some of the acclaimed ones that emerged in the period between 1890 and 1910. These magazines were trade papers for women with guidelines and stories on the application of various goods and services sold on the market. Ladies’ Home Journal had an editor called Edward Bok who really related the feminine duties and respectability with the developing consumer culture (Peiss, 1998). A lot of the editorials in these magazines encouraged women always to purchase the packaged goods as well as go for brand-name and quality (Peiss, 1998). A lot of these magazines became advertisement media for businesses. Editorials used space in these female magazines to admonish false advertising and encourage the genuine brands. Everything about these magazines reinforced the identity of an American woman as a consumer. A lot of the advertisements were featured at the back pages of the magazines. This practice of breaking up the magazine pages into sections started in the year 1895.
By the 1910s, businesses had already realized that American women were the chief shopping agents for their families. A lot of men did not visit shops to purchase goods. This specific role was left to women since it was related to their duty of managing the homes (Peiss, 1998). These business people regarded the female consumer as somebody who was basically emotional and impulsive. It was held by many business people that the female consumer was always driven by desires. The corporate players wanted to ensure they capitalized on these special and unique features of the female consumer, which were of a great opportunity to them (Peiss, 1998). A lot of the female consumers did focus on the social and psychological aspects of a given product or service. Their basic interest was in the style of the product and its level of smartness. These tastes and preferences defined a quintessential female consumer.
Therefore, business people devised strategies of taking advantage of the key traits of a quintessential female consumer by embracing a new business language of persuasion. In this bid to persuade the female buyer, sellers applied evocative words, poetic pictures, soft touches and the French phrases (Peiss, 1998). Commercial conversations with female buyers always had some significant level of intimate touch. This development could be seen even in the advertisements of products and services.
How this period shaped the modern America today
The developments of the period between the 1890s and 1920s, where female consumerism rose significantly, formed the basis on which the culture of commerce in modern America is being developed. A lot of the observations made in the field of commerce today are premised on this historical period where new business practices such as appealing the desires of the customer emerged. A lot of businesses now do work in different ways to ensure they stimulate the desire of the customer. The designing of goods and packaging style is now geared towards attracting the potential customer in the market. Moreover, the style of display that started in this historical period is still the model for the modern product display practices. Today, goods are displayed in glass cabinets and windows. Furthermore, a lot of the front supermarket and retail shop walls are made up of transparent glass walls. The main aim of this style of display is to ensure potential customers are attracted. CCTVs have been invented in the modern day American commerce field to ensure that vices like shop-lifting are prevented.
It is quite important to note that persuasion has remained the powerful tool of convincing customers to purchase goods in the modern day American commerce field. Business people do apply the soft, respectful and enticing language while conversing with the customer. It is a practiced modeled on the events of the period between 1890s and 1920s where American women became the typical consumers in the economy. It is still true today that women highly visit most supermarkets. The culture of window-shopping that is mostly done by women is still present today.
Conclusion
The emergence of American women as the typical consumers during the 1890s to 1920s has shaped the modern American culture in the field of commerce. A lot of the events that happen today in the field of commerce are meant to convince a female consumer easily. For instance, the designing of products attractively and use of persuasive language in advertisements are results of the developments in this historical period.
References
Johnson, P. (1998). A history of the American people (p. 1104). HarperCollins Publishers.
Leach, W. (1993). Land of Desire: Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture . New York: Pantheon.
Peiss, K. L. (1998). American women and the making of modern consumer culture . na. http://www.albany.edu/jmmh/vol1no1/peiss-text.html.
Wolfe, A. R. (1975). Women, consumerism, and the national consumers’ league in the progressive era, 1900–1923. Labor History , 16 (3), 378-392.
